Responsible for leading culinary innovation efforts that fuel the menu pipeline at Jack in the Box US and Mexico, including developing new, and/or improvements to existing, menu items and flavors to expand the brand's menu offering and quality that meets consumer expectations and drives restaurant sales. Contributes to the strategic direction by applying creative expertise and new ideas.
KEY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Serves as key contributor in the concept and product ideation process. Develops and presents new/improved product and ingredient ideas to leadership; responds to feedback and provides follow-up communication and recommended alternatives.
Partners with consumer insights, R&D, Product Marketing, purchasing, and QA throughout the development phase, including the sourcing and availability of food and ingredients, developing culinary specifications and evaluating test ingredient production samples.
Develops and ensures culinary development standards, methodologies, and processes are consistently applied.
Develops food within specified cost parameters to enable achievement of business targets (traffic, margin, menu mix, quality, and sales) while delivering on flavor and presentation requirements.
Collaborates with culinary team during product development and testing to ensure recipes and product preparation is feasible and supports operations excellence.
Stays current on menu trends in the restaurant industry and applies knowledge to develop unique recipes/products.
Collaborates with menu team on development of products to support limited time offerings (LTOs) of planned marketing windows.
Develops and maintains vendor partner relationships.
Trains culinary teams on new cooking techniques, equipment, and proper preparation of menu items for collaboration with operations on product builds and training materials.
Hosts regular culinary showcase presentations for leadership and franchisee groups.
Performs other related duties, tasks and responsibilities as required, assigned, and directed.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Education – Associate or Bachelor degree in Culinary Arts. ServSafe Certified. Certified Executive Chef (CEC) not required but preferred.
Experience – 8-10 years experience as an Executive Chef or related position responsible for creating new menu and flavor offerings, preferably within the QSR, fast casual, or casual dining restaurant space.
Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:
Creative and solutions oriented with expert knowledge of culinary techniques, flavors, and ingredients
Ability to achieve optimal flavor experiences and develop menu offerings within financial and operational parameters
Sound knowledge and understanding of ingredient commercialization and food production
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively cross-functionally
Ability to multi-task with strong attention-to-detail
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to interpret technical requirements and translate them into actionable business processes.
Understanding of cross-functional workflows, including marketing, operations, consumer insights, and food safety/quality assurance
Proficient knowledge of personal computers and Microsoft Office 365 (i.e., Word, Excel)
Demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior
Physical Requirements – Ability to stand and work in R&D kitchen for extended periods of time. Ability to speak/hear clearly in person and on the telephone. Ability to operate a personal computer. Ability to travel approximately 10% - 20% of time to meet with vendors and participate in trend tours, and other locations as business needs require.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION:
Jack in the Box Inc. and its affiliates will make reasonable accommodations to allow a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities and to perform the essential functions of the job. This position description should be applied accordingly. This description of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive or to limit management's discretion to assign other duties or responsibilities as necessary.
Jack in the Box Inc. offers a competitive salary and Total Rewards package that includes: medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Life and Disability Plans, 401(k) plan with company match, Legal Plan, Pet Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, and Employee Assistance Program.
Our culture is fun and innovative – ‘Work Happy' with us!
The range for this position is $163,900 - $229,500 and is based on an employee located at our corporate headquarters in San Diego. If the candidate is hired in a different city to work remote, we may apply a geographic pay differential based on the cost of labor in the market in which the employee resides.
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